September Newsletter 2018

Time goes by so quickly doesn’t it? We are only just in September and to my horror I have already seen Christmas cards in some shops! Anyway, our towns have been looking lovely over the summer with splendid floral tubs, baskets etc. and credit must go to all those who work so hard to enhance our area. Lytham, Ansdell and St Annes have done us proud! Particular mention, I think, should go to the Ansdell in Bloom team who did an excellent job and made quite a feature for the Women’s Open Golf Competition with their innovative golfing figures and golf bag displays. Well done to all the In Bloom

workers. Marjorie Tonge ‘

Please see the Calendar for All Events and Coffee Mornings

Canopies and Glazed Extensionson Commercial Forecourts

Clifton Square in 2006

This is the title of the recent DesignNote prepared by Fylde Borough Council at the request of the Councillors. The Civic Society had also asked for this. The note sets out the criteria for acceptable design within our town centres andis a response to the ever increasing number of glazed extensions and verandahs which are appearing in the Lytham Town Centre Conservation Area.

There have been three recent applications, one at the former Royal Bank of Scotland now known as The Deacon, one at Farina on Clifton Street and the latest at the former Nat West Bank on Dicconson Terrace. The Deacon is fully operational and the planning refusal is currently the subject of an appeal. Unfortunately, the Design Note was not in place when either the application or the appeal were lodged; indeed it has only now completed its consultation period!

This glazed extension is large and obtrusive. It is constructed using a black powder coated aluminium structure and, above all, it is raised about half a metre off the ground on a plinth. It dominates that corner of the square and obscures the street level facade. In addition there is an extensive seating area outside on the ‘private’ frontage. This area is sectioned off using raised planters and prevents the free flow of pedestrian movement. This extension is the subject of a current planning appeal.

The Deacon Clifton Square 2018

Work is now underway on the adjacent building Bank House and, again, a substantial raised plinth has been constructed. In between, a poor lime tree is struggling to find air! There is planning permission here for a raised plinth and balustrade only.

Adjacent to Bank House the canopy and balustrading at Spago are the subject of an appeal against an enforcement notice served by Fylde Borough Council.

Farina Clifton Street

Finally, Farina on Clifton Street now has a timber verandah with a glazed roof. This is at least at pavement level but does not comply with the application which was for an aluminium structure. Furthermore, its sides are completely enclosed by boxed planters.

Both of the conservatories and the verandah hinder the free circulation of pedestrians on the private frontages. They are all different and it is difficult to see how they respect the architecture of the buildings they front.

Of course, we have had a wonderful summer and all these facilities have been humming with activity, particularly at night. Somewhere in all of this there has to be a balance; we do not want planning restrictions to stifle enterprise but there needs to be what we have always seen as ‘good manners’ and ‘neighbourliness’ in our sensitive, historic town centres.

The Mussel Tank Project 2017-2018Sue Cornah

This has been the year in which the Mussel Tank Project has come to fruition. Despite a difficult start and protracted negotiations construction began on site in September 2017. Since the last Annual Report we are happy to announce that the site is complete; all we need now is a Grand Opening!

As we have discussed in our many newsletter articles Fylde Borough Council have acted as our accountable body and thus enabled us to avoid the VAT element. At this point I would like to thank in particular Darren Bell, Andrew Lloyd and Jon Rutter from Fylde Borough Council for their assistance during the build.

The site has been in use by the general public for some months now and we are pleased to see a wide range of users, including young children on their scooters and elderly people enjoying the views and the wonderful weather we have been having. However, we are not happy to see the skateboarders! They are damaging the edges of the precast concrete planting beds and we are now in the process of providing slatted seating along this edge to deter them.

We are delighted with the outcome of the design and the calm environment which it provides. The patterning in the blockwork mirrors the historic images of the Mussel Tanks in use and adds interest in an informal way. We would like to thank Tom Hollick and his team from BCA Landscape for all their efforts during this process.

The planting, funded by ourselves but undertaken by Lytham in Bloom, is a great success and was recently part of their submission for the Annual ‘in Bloom’ awards. Let us hope they are successful!

We have at last had the tiles, made by the Lytham Sixth Form College, installed and we hope everyone agrees that these are a delight and add interest to the site. The Mussel sculpture sponsored by the Ribble Rivers Trust is also a great attraction. We also now have a railing alongside the ramp as officers at Fylde Borough Council felt this area was unsafe. This has been funded by them and we are grateful for this. It adds to the character of the area by featuring a cut-out mussel pattern and the years within which the tank was in full operation.

The final process we are undertaking is the production of an acknowledgement board and interpretation boards. The latter two will explain the history of the site and the historical setting. The plan is now to make these out of bronze for longevity.

All we need to do now is to plan a Grand Opening to make the people of the Borough aware of this project, which is the largest the Civic Society has ever undertaken.

LYTHAM LIBRARY / INSTITUTE

As members will realise we feel strongly that this building must remain in community use as intended by its original benefactors. This has been made less likely now that the LCC library service is to be re-located to the Assembly Rooms. We supported the Friends of the Library in their efforts to raise awareness about the situation and still do. If we can keep the building from redevelopment, however, there will have to be a very visible demonstration of commitment from the Lytham community, including a robust business plan. Some commercial usage would be inevitable in order to support community/ charitable activities in the rest of the building. Grant aid is hard to achieve these days! With this is mind we intend to try and gather together as many people as possible who can take this forward. If you can help or provide useful contacts please get in touch. Content goes here

GARDENING HELP WANTED AT THE MUSSEL TANK SITE

Are you a keen gardener with a bit of time to spare? If so we need your help as we are looking for volunteers to help maintain the planting on the Mussel Tank site by doing some judicious weeding. We need people who preferably have some gardening knowledge and who would be willing to be part of a team on a rota basis to be arranged. Please contact Sue Cornah. email. suecornah@hotmail.com

LYTHAM HALL

The Hall is hosting an exhibition on the history of Lytham Priory. It will be open in the Long Gallery until 7th October 2018. The Priory was on the site of what is now the Hall from the late 12th Century until Henry VIII dissolved monastic establishments in the 1530’s. Admission is free but a donation of £1.50 to the Hall restoration fund is recommended.

STEAM RALLY – LYTHAM HALL

Steam Fair organised by Lytham Rotary Club. Saturday 15th/Sunday 16th September 2018. 10am – 4pm. Adults £7, Concessions £6, Children £4, under 11 Free. Family Pass £20. Full size and miniature steam engines, stationary engines, including a 200 year old carousel, vintage tractors, cars, motorcycles and military vehicles. Free bus to Lytham Hall. Many trade and craft stalls. Refreshments. The Friends of Lytham Hall will be running the Tombola. Any prizes will be gratefully received and can be left at the Hall Office. Content goes here

WALK IN ASHTON GARDENS

Members, who were joined by an additional walking group, enjoyed a guided tour on 21st June led by Jon Harrison, Chairman of the Friends of Ashton Gardens. He gave us a short history of the Gardens, explaining how Lord Ashton from Lancaster came to be involved at the turn of the century in the development of the town.

We started the walk from the cafe on the site of the original Ashton Theatre which burnt down in the seventies. We could see the garden was very well-cared for, stopping to learn about the former nursery on the site which had been an important aspect of the gardens. Plants were grown here for the many beautiful garden beds in the town. The mature water features at the Beach Road side of the park were most impressive, especially surrounded by grand, period Porritt houses. These houses were built for wealthy business men from Manchester, East Lancashire and beyond.

We walked through the former Japanese Gardens and then, thanks to a generous Heritage Lottery funding, Jon showed us the beautiful newly restored rose gardens which includes an impressive memorial plaque commemorating Lord Ashton. The War Memorial was designed by Walter Marsden in 1924.

From there we walked down through the tree-lined driveway to view the decorative iron gates at the main entrance on Clifton Drive. We would like to thank Jon Harrison for his time. We all enjoyed this interesting walk in the gardens ending with refreshment at the gardens ending with refreshment at the Pavilion Cafe.

CIVIC VOICE AGM 19th/20th October in Birmingham

The Civic Voice Annual Convention and AGM will be held this year in Birmingham. There will be interesting talks and visits available to attendees. Further information is available on the Civic Voice website. We really encourage you to join us this year as Birmingham is easy to get to on the train. Full particulars of this can be given if you contact Marion Coupe, who will be going. You can go for one of the days or stay overnight and we will all hope to stay together in the same hotel. We have agreed to pay a subsidy for members to attend of £20 per person towards the conference fee. See www.civicvoiceconference.com. For further details of the event contact Marion Coupe. ontent goes here

WITCHWOOD – VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

Help is needed for litter pickers in the wood. At the moment we only have six . The recommended equipment required is a carrier bag and gloves. A high-viz jacket and grabber will be provided. Volunteers would have an allocated week and just do one day of that week, whichever is convenient for them. We are also still looking for volunteers to work on maintenance in the wood. Please think about getting involved and ring Mike Barden

on 01253 711404 who would be delighted to hear from you.

SEA DEFENCES

The work at Church Scar is progressing well and the installation of the new promenade commenced in August 2018. They are now ready to begin the site set up for Phase 2 of the work at Fairhaven, ready for the main construction work to begin in September 2018. For further details the Customer Centre at Fairlawn Road is open Monday – Thursday 1.00pm – 4.30pm where you will be able to view aerial photographs for Phase 1 of the works and plans for Phase 2 at Fairhaven.

Archaeology Dig at Fairhaven Lake

Fylde Borough Council is in the developing stage of a Heritage Lottery project to restore Fairhaven Lake. The Japanese garden is a key heritage feature from Mawsons 1923 design that has been lost over the years and it is Fylde Borough Council’s ambition to restore the garden to its former glory. They have the original plans but had no information about what still existed under the surface. Recently, the archaeology team did a number of test trenches to see what was underneath; they were going to close them up ready for full restoration. Volunteers worked incredibly hard to complete the trenches and were all delighted that all of the original stonework was still in situ and in such a highly preserved condition: So much so that they couldn’t bear to cover them back over! They decided that, for the time being, the stones would be landscaped into the park to leave them exposed, but safe. Hopefully there will be full restoration next year.

CHRISTMAS LUNCH AT TIGGIS, ST ANNES –

CJoin us for lunch at Tiggis on Monday 3rd December 2018 for two courses of their Christmas lunch menu. Cost will be £13.95. Drinks can be bought separately. If you would like to come please contact Ann Boddis as soon as you can as there are only a limited number of places. Email ann_bod@yahoo.co.uk – Phone – 07934447246

AGM – REMINDER – The AGM of the Lytham St Annes Civic Society

will be held on 20th September 2018 at 7.30 pm at the Lytham Assembly Rooms.Please come along. If you

have any issues you might wish to raise please let the Chairman (Marion Coupe) know in good time.

Membership – Jakki Hatton

Our paid up membership for 2017/18 is 376 which is slightly down from 386 last year.

Subscriptions were due on 1st May. Please check that you have paid and, if you don’t already have one, consider a Standing Order which helps cut down administrative costs etc. Contact Jakki Hatton on 01253 795756

Coffee Mornings

Are On2nd Tuesday in the month at 10.30 am at Lytham Hall Cafe. Please introduce yourself if you haven’t been before. Next ones – 11th September 9th October 13th November

COMMITTEE

We urgently need a Treasurer and a Membership Secretary (Contact Mark Smith or Jakki Hatton if you think you could help with either of these positions).Please also consider whether you would like to join the Committee. We welcome any members to attend three meetings (let Marion Coupe, Chairman, know in advance) and then consider whether you would like to join.